Your Realtor might be costing you money
If you have a high value home in Bakersfield (over $225,000), and you are listing your home for sale, there are special things that your realtor should do that does not apply in the houses aimed at a lower priced market.
Is your real estate agent costing you money?
It's a different type of sale
Sales for larger value homes is a different type of sale than a sale for a low value home. There is a third category that does not exist in large quantities in Bakersfield that we are not even addressing: the luxury home sale, which is different even from these first two categories.
A Seller's Agent may have a lot of experience selling homes in Bakersfield at $80,000 to $150,000, but when it comes to selling your home, there are things that they are not considering, or may not think are important.
Things that don't matter (as much) at the lower level
Staging
The profit margins are too low at $80,000 to pay for staging. Staging is when you put new (or rented) furniture in the home to make it look like a model home. It helps the buyer feel like he or she is home. It helps them to see how the space can be used and gives them ideas for what they will do with the property. A house will sell without staging, but it sells so much easier when the Buyer sees and feels the look of a finished product. The difference is so great that it can actually help you fetch a higher price for your home.
A staged home will, on average, fetch at least $5,000 more on the open market than a home that is not staged.
Advertising
Low end housing is often filled by first-time home buyers who are overwhelmed with the pressures of life. They work longer hours for low wages, and when they are shopping for a home, they don't know where to start. For this reason, it can be acceptable for the sellers agent to forget small details like putting the listing on Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, and even Craigslist. (It seems weird that high end shoppers might shop on Craigslist, I will explain in a moment).
The fact is that the shopper of a high end home is more sophisticated. They absolutely will be checking Zillow to see Zillow's "Zestimate" or the last sale price. They will frequently go to Zillow by searching Google, which means that everything, including Craigslist ads will show up. Getting ahead of the buyer and making sure that the information they find is the information that YOU want them to see is critical! So absolutely make sure that your agent is putting your ads in all these locations!
Owner Occupied Listing
It happens. Sometimes a homeowner needs to sell a home while they still live in it. The feeling is so uncomfortable to walk through a home with a buyer and see the realization on their face that they are "invading" someone's privacy. No one likes that.
We make concessions by leaving the house before the Buyer arrives, but it is inevitable that the Buyer will open a closet or a drawer to inspect their future home, and they will see the clothing, the utensils. No matter how hard you try to hide it, the Buyer will learn that you are still living there, and they will feel uncomfortable and guilty when that happens. It will ruin the Buying experience, which may ruin your offer.
The higher the price tag of the home, the more essential that it is that the home feel like a model home that has never been touched. It is all about creating an experience for the Buyer and their Agent so that the Buyer's Agent walks out saying to the Buyer, "I'm impressed." The Buyer will notice, and you can be sure that the Buyer will remember YOUR house.
Finding the "right" agent
If you are about to list your high value home, start by finding the right agent. Ask them if they will stage the home. Ask them how long it will take till they override the Zestimate with the listing price. Ask them if they will take the time to make an ad for Craigslist and update it weekly so that it stays current. These are the things you need to know to protect yourself.
The right agent makes the difference, which is why we use trusted agents that we have used for years. As real estate investors, it is essential that we have real estate agents who will represent us well. I can tell you that we use Tarah Poochigian at Watson Realty, and Rachel Harless at Keller Williams.
Of course, if selling the home for top dollar is not for you, and you need to have an offer in hand within 24 hours instead of a promise and contract that gives you permission to wait for an offer, then call Phoenix Homes.
Phoenix Homes buys houses in Bakersfield, mostly, but we buy all over the United States. If you need to sell quickly, give us a call. You can contact us by going to our website here:
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